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Emeraldsea Palace
The Emeraldsea Palace is an estate belonging to the House Emeraldsea, found within Lothern. Overview Entering a massive plaza, one can see on one side of the square was a huge mansion, made from green-tinged stone, topped with emerald towers. Flags with the emblem of a mighty Elf warship on them flutter above the entrance. Gigantic lanterns set atop corner towers lit the entire street with a green-tinted light. It appears large enough to house the population of an Elven town, and unlike many of the surrounding buildings it did not seem deserted. Small armies of people seem to come and go from it. The palace is truly distinct within Lothern due to its massive size and greenly lit towers. Interior Passing through the front gate is akin to walking into a different world. Green paper-lanterns hang everywhere, illuminating a courtyard that contains a pool the size of a small lake. In that pool are fountains carved in the shape of dolphins and sea-drakes and other legendary creatures of the ocean. Around the courtyard, the mansion rises a full five stories high. Retainers in the livery of House Emeraldsea go about their business. If horses are brought into the property, said-retainers help the riders dismount before leading their steeds into the stables. Richly dressed elves stroll around discussing tonnages and rates of interest and market prices. Even if the hour is late, these asur conduct business with the intensity of farmers haggling over sheep at a morning market. One may find a group of young elves under an arched walkway in the west end of the palace. Extremely well dressed, these nobles wear the long, loose robes favoured by the upper class at leisure, all trimmed with silk and gold. No matter where one is in the palace, however, servants always seem to appear when they are needed, surprising even Tyrion with their stealth. Lord Emeraldsea's Office On the topmost floor of the palace, the patriarch of House Emeraldsea resides. Here, he can be found sat on a hard, wooden chair, behind a small set of scales, and a huge desk piled high with documents awaiting his inspection and signature. Outside the study's window, he has a fine view of the harbour below. His balcony holds a bronze telescope on a metal tripod. His grandson, Tyrion, guessed he took a proprietary interest in the ships arriving in Lothern's harbour. Tyrion & Teclis' Apartment When the twins came to live at the family palace, they were installed in an apartment as large as their father Arathion's villa - and considerably more luxurious. It had windows of polished crystal. Murals depicting sea-scenes covered the walls of the reception chamber and numerous busts of proud-looking elves stood on columns in the alcoves. There was a small library of books, mostly about the sea and ancient lands. The furnishings were lovely and lovingly crafted. A small table of Sapherian dragonwood sat in the middle of the reception room. A number of carved chairs were placed around it. They were well-upholstered and comfortable in a way that nothing had been back home. Tyrion had taken the bedroom that overlooked the street outside. It contained a large bed, and more books, a mirror and paintings of ships and sea battles executed by a painter with a gift for detail. The bed was massive and draped with a gauze curtain for keeping out night-biting insects. There was a balcony with a fine view of the street two storeys below. When Tyrion stood on it he wondered if this was how the Phoenix King felt when he looked down on his subjects. Teclis was installed in the bedroom that faced the inner courtyard. It was quieter and cooler and smaller. There was a painting of a sea-wizard summoning a wind to propel a ship across the ocean. It was the presence of this painting more than anything that had influenced Teclis' choice. And though he was exhausted when first he arrived, his gaze was bright. His brother Tyrion could tell that he had absorbed everything about their surroundings, and would remember it. From the balcony of Tyrion's room, even at night the street outside the palace were alive. Mansions and villas were well lit in stark contrast to whole swaths of the city being dark. Buildings loom large in the moonlight, yet appear devoid of life as far as the prince could tell. As for the balcony itself, Tyrion found he could lower himself from it by using the gaps between the blocks of stone that made up the wall for foot and finger holds - before dropping ten feet. There was also plenty of climbing ivy on the wall beneath the balcony, but Tyrion doubted that it could take his weight. The chamber that was Teclis' sitting room was impressively furnished. The table was massive, worked from rich aromatic wood from Cathay and inscribed with intertwined nymphs and godlings. Over two walls hung heavy tapestries of the richest sort. There was crystal in the windows and they had no shutters, only a thick pair of curtains capable of cutting out any draft. On the wall opposite was a picture depicting merchant ships, the source of their relatives' great wealth. Near the table was a free-standing mirror. Trivia *One of the jewellers hired by the House uses a wax tablet to make notes when measuring clients. Source * : Blood of Aenarion (Novel) by William King ** : Chapter 9 ** : Chapter 10 ** : Chapter 15 ** : Chapter 17 Category:House Emeraldsea Category:Lothern Category:E Category:P